Due to the benefits of solar energy and the drop of the cost of solar panel installations, and despite the recent reductions in the Feed-in Tariffs not only in the UK but also in Germany, Italy and Spain – where the green technology fundings were completely cut -, the figures of the total solar energy installed in Europe keep on growing.

Seven cities across England will receive £12m from the £200m Green Deal incentives funding, to support and help them in their ambitious challenge to lower the carbon emissions of their respective regions.(more…)

Brighton is set to be the first community-funded domestic solar under Abundance Generation and Padero South Downs innovative project, that allows anyone to invest directly in renewable energy projects in the UK with a minimum £5.

Almost two months after Eu ProSun, a new sustainable solar energy initiative to maintain a sustainable and vibrant solar manufacturing base in Europe, complained of unfair Chinese practices in the solar market, the European Commission has decided last 6th of September to start an investigation and to come to a decision on anti-dumping duties.

Milan Nitzschke, President of EU ProSun, the Sustainable Solar Energy Initiative for Europe said: “The European Commission took a big step today to save Europe’s green tech sector and broader manufacturing base. Chinese companies are selling solar products in Europe far below their cost of production, with a dumping margin of 60 % to 80%. This means that Chinese solar companies are making enormous losses, but are not bankrupt because they are bankrolled by the state. Such practices have led to over 20 major European solar manufacturers going out of business already in 2012 alone. If China destroys the EU solar industry where labour accounts for less than 10% of production costs, then virtually all European manufacturing sectors and jobs are under threat.”

Although solar panels manufacturing costs are dropping down thanks to technological advances, nowadays China is still capturing around 80% of the European market due to the dumping of subsidised Chinese production. If anti-dumping measures are imposed, not only Chinese monopoly would be stopped, but European solar market would also maintain, creating more jobs and helping to the growth of the European solar industry.

Nitzschke concluded: “EU ProSun calls on the EU to impose anti-dumping duties to restore fair competition and create a level playing field with China as soon as possible. If the EU acts quickly, we have a chance to maintain a sustainable solar manufacturing base in Europe.”

One more week, the Department of Energy and Climate Change publishes the weekly photovoltaic installations figures, revealing that the initial1 installation results for the week ending 2nd September 2012 are 813 installations in that week compared to 759 for the week ending 26th August 2012. The total number of installations on the MCS is now 369,131, and the total capacity installed increased by 2.7 MW, to stand at 1.3GW right now. (more…)

A solar-powered toilet that generates hydrogen and electricity designed by California Institute of Technology in the United States won the first prize in Reinvent the Toilet, a competition for next-generation toilets to improve sanitation in the developing world, carried out by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.